Production of Wine from Perunkila (Carissa carandas) Fruit Juice

Abstract

The increasing demand for alternative raw materials for wine production has enabled the search for opportunities for the use of underutilized tropical fruits. The study aimed to produce a wine from Perunkila (Carissa carandas) fruit juice and to evaluate the alcohol content and sensory acceptability of various variants. Four replicates of 100 ml fruit juice were prepared for each setup. Setup A consisted of only 15 g of sugar, setup B consisted of 15 g of sugar and 5 g of yeast, setup C consisted of 100 ml of pasteurized fruit juice, 15 g of sugar, and 5 g of yeast, and setup D (control) consisted of crude fruit juice. The fermentation lasted for 10 days and each set-up was aerated for 36 hours and covered with cheesecloth. The alcohol content was determined for each setup and the sensory evaluation of the aroma, color and taste was performed by 10 panelists. Results showed that all set-ups were able to produce wine with 97 ml from set-up A, 100 ml from set-up B and C and 30 ml from set-up D. Alcohol content was varied as follows: setup A (0%), setup B (11.86%), setup C (2.97%), and setup D (0%). The organoleptic evaluation showed a preference for setup B, which was comparable to commercial wine in acceptability and quality. All Perunkila wine setups received satisfactory scores for aroma, colour/visual and taste. Notably, the highest acceptability and quality rating was observed for setup B, compared to commercial wine Moreover, the results show that Perunkila fruit juice is suitable for wine production. Differences in alcohol content were attributed to sugar addition and other treatment differences, and overall scores were not significantly different among any of the wine setups.